Is there a fixture in the premiership any of us can feel confident we'll get any points from?
We don't have a team that can seriously compete in the premiership.
Friedel - Great goalkeeper, but he can't save our whole season by himself.
Gray - Perhaps he'd shine brighter if he had a few good players around him, but is too slow to take a grip on the game, or even his side of the pitch.
Short - Too old. I'm sorry, but Craig Short will struggle against any attacker you put up against him. He's not premiership class anymore.
Matteo - Not premiership standard. Was in a relegated side for a reason: wasn't good enough.
Amoruso - Slow, old, useless. Yes, he has passion, yes, he's determined, but without the ability it's all going to go to waste.
Lucas Neill - We all know he's terrible... but who else is there to fill his position efficiently?
Johansson - He perhaps has potential but right now we need ability, and it's not likely he has enough, or he would have been picked above the other defenders, or at least given a fair shot.
Gresko - Undecided. He doesn't seem to be the type of player who can control his section of the pitch, he doesn't stand out, nor am I confident in his defensive abilities against any above average player.
Todd - What happened to him? Doesn't matter. He's not good enough to stabilize our season.
McEvely - Unproven. Too young to depend on for defensive stability.
Brett Emerton - What a disappointment. He needs a serious kick up the arse or a plane ticket home. He's had a whole season to adjust, how much more time can we give him?
Tugay - Far too old. Passing is getting worse with age. Doesn't contribute enough to a game.
Barry Ferguson - Has been injured for a long time, so is perhaps somewhat an exception, but he has not shown the kind of class we were expecting. Doesn't stand out often enough as our star man.
Steven Reid - Send him back to The Championship, or just buy him a hospital bed. No good for us right now.
David Thompson - Hell of a player when he's on form and fit, unfortunetely the latter is extremely rare.
Douglas - Judging from last year, probably not ready for the premiership yet. Perhaps he will be one day, but right now he's betetr suited for lower divison football.
Garry Flitcroft - I will be honest and say this is one player I never rated and still don't. I don't like his dirty style of play, the way he passes or the way he maneuvers the game. He wouldn't be in any of my teams.
De Pedro - Hasn't really been given a chance, but seems out of his depth.
Matt Jansen - Played up front, could be a glint of hope. Played on the left, absolutely ineffective.
Jon Stead - I was apprehensive about us signing him, and it appears this season he's having consistancy problems. Hasn't scored yet. Not confident about his progress.
Dickov - Yes, he works hard. Yes, he's determined. Is he a class striker? I don't think so. Playing him up front on his own? Complete and utter madness. We'll never score that way. Many said when we bought him "He can't be a first team regular". Well he is.
Gally - Another slight glimmer of hope, but I don't think we should place too much hope on him transforming our offensive troubles. He's young and hasn't really had much premiership experience.
Jay Bothroyd - Haven't seen much of him, but doesn't appear to be adding any creative spark into our team.
This is not me being negative for the sake of it, not is it triggered from the beating we're getting at Stamford Bridge. This is simply pointing out some very obvious facts that have been shown over the season so far. It's hard to be optimistic when you're looking at these players to try and keep us in the premiership. Sparky has plenty of work to do, and desperately needs to do something in January, but I fear by then, if we don't find another gear, it'll be too late...
if I've missed any players out, I'm really too depressed to name them. I'm sure it'd be hard to find something positive to say about them anyway.